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Mobot vs Maestro: YAML Flows or Testing Robots on Real Devices?

Maestro is an open-source framework where your team writes YAML flows and runs them on emulators, simulators or physical Android devices; physical iPhones are not yet supported. Mobot is a managed service: Mobot testing robots run tests on real iOS and Android devices, and a QA analyst verifies every defect.

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Test your app on real devices. 1,000 free Mobot credits.

How are Mobot and Maestro different?

Maestro is an open-source framework your team uses to write and run UI tests as YAML flows. Mobot is a managed mobile QA service: Mobot testing robots run Mobot test cases on real iOS and Android devices, and a Mobot QA analyst verifies every defect before it reaches your team.

Where tests run. Maestro runs on Android emulators and physical Android devices, connected over ADB^[M2]^[M4]. On iOS it runs on Xcode simulators, and its docs say "Executing tests on physical iOS devices is not supported yet."^[M3] Maestro Cloud runs flows in parallel "across multiple hosted virtual devices" and "runs iOS tests on Simulators."^[M1]^[M5] Mobot runs every test on real iOS and Android devices from its device fleet of 300+, physically operated by Mobot testing robots. (Why real devices)

Who writes and maintains tests. With Maestro, your team writes YAML flows by hand or visually in Maestro Studio^[M1]. Selectors match elements by text, ID, position or state^[M7], and Maestro waits for the screen to "settle" before acting^[M8]. When the app changes, your team updates the flows. With Mobot, Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases, Mobot testing robots run them, and Mobot maintains them: Tests that update as your app changes. (Managed mobile QA)

Who decides a failure is a bug. With Maestro, your team reviews results, with tools such as screen recordings and a beta AI test analysis feature^[M9]^[M10]. With Mobot, a QA analyst verifies every defect before it reaches you, with screenshots from the device, device and network logs, and reproduction steps. (Analyst-verified defects)

Mobot vs Maestro at a glance

Row	Maestro	Mobot
What it is	Open-source UI automation framework for mobile and web, with Maestro Studio, the CLI and Maestro Cloud	Managed mobile QA: Mobot testing robots, QA analysts and Mobot AI
Where tests run	Android emulators and physical Android devices; iOS simulators (physical iOS devices not supported yet); Maestro Cloud on hosted virtual devices, with iOS on simulators	Real iOS and Android devices, physically tapped by Mobot testing robots
Who authors tests	Your team, in YAML or visually in Maestro Studio	Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases; Mobot testing robots run them
Test maintenance	Your team updates flows; built-in waiting for the screen to settle, a retry command and automatic retries on Maestro Cloud	Tests that update as your app changes, maintained by Mobot
Defect review	Your team, with recordings and beta AI test analysis	Every defect verified by a Mobot QA analyst, with screenshots from the device, device and network logs, and reproduction steps
System UI and hardware	Can interact with system settings, permission dialogs and notifications	Push delivered through APNs or FCM, deep links opened from other apps, real Bluetooth peripherals, Face ID and Touch ID, and the device's real camera, on real iOS and Android devices
Free start	Open-source framework; running tests on Maestro Cloud requires a Cloud plan	Free trial with 1,000 free Mobot credits; after the trial, if you like what you see, we convert your existing tests into Mobot test cases

Sources: M1, M2, M3, M5, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M12, M13

Maestro mobile testing limitations, from Maestro's own docs

Maestro documents its own limits openly. As of Oct 13, 2026, its docs list:

No physical iPhones yet. "Executing tests on physical iOS devices is not supported yet."^[M3]
Maestro Cloud uses simulators and emulators. Maestro Cloud "runs iOS tests on Simulators"^[M5], and its known-issues page says Cloud "runs on google_apis Android emulator images."^[M4]
A time limit on Cloud runs. "Maestro Cloud applies a 20-minute soft limit per test execution."^[M11]
Some locked-down Android devices. Maestro installs a companion driver app on the device, and "Devices that block installation of the companion APK are not supported."^[M4]
Text input on Android. For `inputText` on Android, "only ASCII characters are supported."^[M4]
Some WebView content. WebView elements "may not be fully accessible" through the accessibility APIs Maestro relies on; Maestro documents a Chrome DevTools workaround.^[M4]
Tests reference the UI. Flows find elements by text, ID, position or state^[M7], so when those change, someone updates the flow.

Capabilities change; check Maestro's known issues for the current list.

When does Mobot fit?

Your tests depend on real hardware and physical input: push delivered through APNs or FCM, deep links opened from other apps, pairing with real Bluetooth peripherals, Face ID and Touch ID on the real secure enclave, or the device's real camera, with real documents and scenes in front of the lens. (What physical robots catch that emulators miss)
You need to test on physical iPhones. Mobot testing robots run your Mobot test cases on real iOS and Android devices.
You don't have QA headcount to write and triage tests. Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases, and there are no scripts for your engineers to maintain.
You want verified defects, not red builds. A QA analyst verifies every failure before it reaches you.
You ship weekly or faster. A Mobot analyst verifies every result before it reaches you.

How do you switch from Maestro to Mobot?

Start the free trial. Start with the 1,000-credit free trial. Share your build (TestFlight, a Play internal testing link or an .apk), and pick the iOS and Android devices and OS versions that match your users. If you like what you see, share your existing Maestro tests and Mobot's team converts them into Mobot test cases, which Mobot maintains as your app changes.
Review the test cases with your Mobot contact. Your Mobot contact goes through the converted test cases with you before they run.
Mobot testing robots run the tests. Mobot testing robots execute real taps, swipes and gestures on real devices. Every step is captured: screenshots, device and network logs.
Analysts verify every result. Verified defects land in Slack, Jira or TestRail with everything an engineer needs to reproduce and fix.

If you like what you see, we'll convert your existing tests into Mobot test cases at no cost.

See how Mobot works

To see Mobot test your own app on real devices, start a free trial.

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1,000 free Mobot credits.

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Compare other tools

How Mobot compares · Mobot vs. Appium · Mobot vs. QA Wolf · Mobot vs. Waldo · Mobot vs. Sauce Labs · Mobot vs. BrowserStack · Mobot vs. Testlio · Mobot vs. Kobiton · Mobot vs. Rainforest QA

FAQ

Does Maestro support real iPhones?

Not yet. Maestro's docs say "Executing tests on physical iOS devices is not supported yet," and Maestro's GitHub issue for real iOS device support is still open. Maestro Cloud runs iOS tests on simulators. On Android, Maestro supports both emulators and physical devices. Mobot testing robots run your Mobot test cases on real iPhones and Android phones.

Is Maestro free?

Maestro's framework is open source. Running tests on Maestro Cloud requires a Cloud plan; check Maestro's site for current plans. Mobot offers a free trial with 1,000 free Mobot credits.

Do I have to rewrite my Maestro flows for Mobot?

No. Share your existing Maestro tests, and Mobot's team turns them into Mobot test cases after the free trial, at no cost, if you like what you see. Your Mobot contact reviews the converted test cases with you before they run.

Does Mobot run our Maestro flows?

No. Mobot doesn't run Maestro code directly. Mobot's team rebuilds those tests as Mobot test cases, which Mobot maintains as your app changes, and Mobot testing robots run those. Checks a robot can't see on screen, such as internal values or API responses, are rewritten into other Mobot test cases during conversion.

Who writes the Mobot tests?

Mobot does. Mobot's team and Mobot AI build the test cases from your build, your existing tests, your test plans or a recorded walkthrough, and your Mobot contact validates them with you. Mobot testing robots read the screen with computer vision, so most UI changes don't break tests, and when a flow in your app changes, Mobot updates the test plan.

Test your app on real devices.

Start with the 1,000-credit free trial. If you like what you see, we'll convert your existing tests into Mobot test cases at no cost.

Start a free trial

1,000 free Mobot credits.

or talk to sales

Based on Maestro's public documentation, read on Oct 13, 2026. Capabilities change; verify with Maestro.